I've recently encountered a problem with my CS4. Photoshop can open .png files as usual UNTIL I decide to save a .psd (or any file) as .png. If I do this and try to open .pngs that have previously worked, the "cannot parse" message shows up. Also, the file I saved says it saved properly, but it does not show up in the folder, it disappears completely.

I've read some responses and I can assure that it's not that I've accidentally changed the file extension or that the file is corrupted. Everything works perfectly fine until I decide to SAVE as .png with photoshop, this is when the problem occurs.

Just chiming in to say I have this issue, too, and been unable to fix it. I have tried solutions like moving and re-installing the plugins folders, but to no avail.

Did you find a solution?

When I try to save any file as a PNG, I get no error, but the file simply does not save. When I try to open a PNG, most of the time I will get an error that the file is unreadable (but non consistently - sometimes the same file can be opened, but then is unopenable).

Weirdly, I CAN save PNGs using the "save for web" functionality, but when those PNGs are made, I am still unable to open them in Photoshop! (I can open them in Preview or MS Paint, though, so the files themselves are fine).

Here is one of the images I am presently using. It doesn't consistently fail to open. Rather, it will seemingly randomly fail to open, and generate the "couldnot be parsed" error.

One pattern I've noticed is that if a given image does not open, but I close all other opened images, then suddenly I can the "un-openable" image.

I've not yet determined any patterns w/r/t the inability to save PNGs without using the "Save for Web" dialogue (note: This is not an issue of color profile. The images are RGB, and PNG comes up in the drop-down menu as an option to save. The issue is that after clicking "OK" the image simply, quietly, does not save).

That *is* an actual file that Photoshop will not open. Sometimes. Arbitrarily.

Again, sometimes it will, and sometimes it will not. It does, indeed, randomly fail. As I've said, I doubt the issue is not with the PNGs themselves - they open in other programs, and are visible in the browser just above this comment. The problem seems to be with Photoshop and how it is handling the PNGs. I'm going to try to screencast the issue, so you can see it in action.

CS4 has been out a long while. Is this a new problem? If so, when did it start happening? It may help if we could see your Photoshop System Info. Directions for sharing your system info from Photoshop:
http://feedback.photoshop.com/photosh...

The issue is really cramping my workflow, as 50% or more of the time when I reflexively hit ctrl+S to save my work, the file simply won't save, and a fair amount of the time a file simply won't open (but then arbitrarily the same file will open or save fine later...).

The problem is new to me, and I've been using this version for years now.

It only just started happening today, but it's been a few months since I used Photoshop on this machine. So it's possible the timeframe is similar to Berit's, since s/he encountered the issue 3 months ago. (And maybe that could point to some time-linked external factor like a driver or Windows update causing the issue?).

I've been able to reproduce the "parsing" error when opening GIF files, too. (It's easier to reproduce when opening a large group all at once). However, I haven't been able to create the error with JPGs.

I've also been able to reporoduce the saving error from the videos when saving as a GIF. But, again, not with JPGs.

This might not be very helpful in your case, but since I had this problem (I'm the OP), I also had a chance to change my laptop to another model, in which I did and thus far it's been faulty-free. I don't know whether or not it depended on which computer I was using or the fact that I reinstalled PS anew.

UPDATE: As a semi-fix, I tried turning off all OpenGL options in the performance preferences. Fingers crossed, but so far it seems to be working. Maybe a recent update of my graphics card drivers wasn't playing nicely with CS4?